Proverbs 20
1 Wine [is] a scorner—strong drink [is] noisy, And any going astray in it is not wise.
Wine makes men foolish, and strong drink makes men come to blows; and whoever comes into error through these is not wise.
2 The fear of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion, He who is causing him to be angry is wronging his soul.
The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.
3 Cessation from strife is an honor to a man, And every fool interferes.
It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.
4 The slothful does not plow because of winter, He asks in harvest, and there is nothing.
The hater of work will not do his ploughing because of the winter; so at the time of grain-cutting he will be requesting food and will get nothing.
5 Counsel in the heart of a man [is] deep water, And a man of understanding draws it up.
The purpose in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of good sense will get it out.
6 A multitude of men each proclaim his kindness, And a man of steadfastness who finds?
Most men make no secret of their kind acts: but where is a man of good faith to be seen?
7 The righteous is habitually walking in his integrity, O the blessedness of his sons after him!
An upright man goes on in his righteousness: happy are his children after him!
8 A king sitting on a throne of judgment, Is scattering all evil with his eyes,
A king on the seat of judging puts to flight all evil with his eyes.
9 Who says, “I have purified my heart, I have been cleansed from my sin?”
Who is able to say, I have made my heart clean, I am free from my sin?
10 A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, Even both of them [are] an abomination to YHWH.
Unequal weights and unequal measures, they are all disgusting to the Lord.
11 Even by his actions a youth makes himself known, Whether his work is pure or upright.
Even a child may be judged by his doings, if his work is free from sin and if it is right.
12 A hearing ear, and a seeing eye—YHWH has even made both of them.
The hearing ear and the seeing eye are equally the Lord's work.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become poor, Open your eyes—be satisfied [with] bread.
Do not be a lover of sleep, or you will become poor: keep your eyes open, and you will have bread enough.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, And then he boasts himself going his way.
A poor thing, a poor thing, says he who is giving money for goods: but when he has gone on his way, then he makes clear his pride in what he has got.
15 Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, Indeed, a precious vessel, [are] lips of knowledge.
There is gold and a store of corals: but the lips of knowledge are a jewel of great price.
16 When a stranger has been guarantor, take his garment, And pledge it for strangers.
Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.
17 The bread of falsehood [is] sweet to a man, And afterward his mouth is filled [with] gravel.
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but after, his mouth will be full of sand.
18 You establish purposes by counsel, And with plans you make war.
Every purpose is put into effect by wise help: and by wise guiding make war.
19 The busybody is a revealer of secret counsels, And do not make yourself guarantor for a deceiver [with] his lips.
He who goes about talking of the business of others gives away secrets: so have nothing to do with him whose lips are open wide.
20 Whoever is vilifying his father and his mother, his lamp is extinguished in blackness of darkness.
If anyone puts a curse on his father or his mother, his light will be put out in the blackest night.
21 An inheritance gotten wrongly at first, Even its latter end is not blessed.
A heritage may be got quickly at first, but the end of it will not be a blessing.
22 Do not say, “I repay evil,” Wait for YHWH, and He delivers you.
Do not say, I will give punishment for evil: go on waiting for the Lord, and he will be your saviour.
23 A stone and a stone [are] an abomination to YHWH, And balances of deceit [are] not good.
Unequal weights are disgusting to the Lord, and false scales are not good.
24 The steps of a man [are] from YHWH, And man—how does he understand his way?
A man's steps are of the Lord; how then may a man have knowledge of his way?
25 A snare to a man [that] he has swallowed a holy thing, And to make inquiry after vows.
It is a danger to a man to say without thought, It is holy, and, after taking his oaths, to be questioning if it is necessary to keep them.
26 A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turns the wheel back on them.
A wise king puts evil-doers to flight, and makes their evil-doing come back on them.
27 The breath of man [is] a lamp of YHWH, Searching all the inner parts of the heart.
The Lord keeps watch over the spirit of man, searching all the deepest parts of the body.
28 Kindness and truth keep a king, And he has supported his throne by kindness.
Mercy and good faith keep the king safe, and the seat of his power is based on upright acts.
29 The beauty of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is grey hairs.
The glory of young men is their strength, and the honour of old men is their grey hairs.
30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil, Also the scourges of the inner parts of the heart!
By the wounds of the rod evil is taken away, and blows make clean the deepest parts of the body.
